Invitation: Participate in Plastic Free July

Editor: July is Plastic free month in more than 150 countries, a community-based initiative now in its sixth year. It is hard to avoid knowledge of the impact of plastic waste and its adverse effects on the health of land, oceans, wildlife and ourselves, as the consequences of garbage/pollution — one of the significant issues raised during MIRP— are widely reported.

All of us are being encouraged this month —and hopefully for good — to become part of the solution to beating plastic pollution, rather than a contributor to the problem. While necessary applications for single-use plastic are recognised, a growing list of companies is banning the use or supply of plastic products, including drinking straws, bags and bottles, for which there are alternatives. People the world over are being urged to get behind these bans, to sign petitions and to take the 4Rs pledge. 'Good' behaviour is being rewarded, such as the discount on take-away coffee at many cafes and coffee carts for consumers using their own keep cups.

In the Mercy world, many efforts are being made to reduce reliance on single-use plastic in favour of reusable packaging. In this issue we hear about some of them with practical ideas being shared.